Promises Made
by Vera Kate
Summary: Things are not well in Badger Lake. Derek and Chloe are on the run but there seems to be an ever increasing count of whom they are running from. Can they trust anyone? When an offer comes to them from the most unlikely of sources, offering them the knowledge that they need in order to survive, can they take it in good faith? Will they be able to hold up the promises that they made?
1. Promises

**A/N:** Thank you so much for clicking! This is _Promises Made_. There are four prequels to this that I highly encourage you to read (it isn't necessary, but it helps set the scene and the backstory), they are: _Like Magic_, _Do No Harm_, _Casting Eyes_, and _Abracadabra_. You can find all of these listed on my profile.

For those of you who are familiar with the grander universe of _Women of the Otherworld_, you will see familiar faces! If you're not, don't fret. Since our characters are also meeting them for the first time, you'll be properly introduced. If you haven't read them, I suggest that you do! It is a massive series (filled with both books and novellas/short stories – check out Kelley's website for the proper order) that I read simply because I wanted to tell a bigger _Darkest Powers_ story.

This story is sticking as close to the books and novellas/short stories (the stories in the _Darkest Powers Bonus Pack_ and _Bonus Pack 2) _as I can. So everything that has happened up to _The Rising_ is included in the _Darkest Powers/Rising_ series. In regard to timeline of _Women of the Otherworld_, it does go up to and involve Kelley's latest release, _Brazen_. I imagine it'll be considered AU once Kelley posts her new Chloe story this May, but there is no shame in having some fun until then.

A huge shout out to **random-k** for going over this chapter and tolerating my love of improper usage of dashes. Check out her stories!

Be sure to check out my note at the bottom!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the _Darkest Powers_, _Darkness Rising_, or _Women of the Otherworld_ series.

* * *

Chapter 1: Promises

_Badger Lake: our oasis in a seemingly never ending desert. A small town, if it could even be called that, filled with people like us; supernaturals and those aware of the supernatural. Isolated from society, it provided a safe haven for maturing teens that might have an odd quirk, such as: casting spells when it turns out they bombed a history test, turning into a werewolf under extreme stress, or raising the dead when they try to grab a quick nap. We had it made, literally. Badger Lake? It was founded for us._

_It was a rough journey to get there and even now, still defies reason as to why we even agreed to it. We agreed to live in Badger Lake as part of a deal – a deal that transferred the responsibility of us from one Cabal to another._

_We were stuck between a rock and a hard place._

_We had been on the run for months from the Edison Group when we had a much unexpected run in with a group of teenage supernaturals from Project Phoenix. Together, we had become an even larger target for the Cabals and I'm sure a few others in-between._

_We couldn't run forever. It sure was tempting to try – especially considering that the Edison Group had stepped up from using tranquilizer darts to bullets in our last few run-ins. We had made a significant hit to the Edison Group a few months prior when we had our series of captured, escape, re-captured, and escape- again-but-eliminating-key-upper-Edison-Group personnel-en-route adventure. The only problem was that the Edison Group was just the first level. We weren't ready to go past that. We needed time, experience, and more supernaturals._

_But, Badger Lake was supposed to be different. It was to right all of the wrongs that had been done to us by the St. Cloud Cabal, and inspire us to continue to cooperate with the Nast Cabal. In an ideal situation, we would work for the Nast Cabal – doing exactly what was a mystery. _

"Chloe?"

Her head looked up from her pen and paper, dark circles under her eyes. She looked as though it had been weeks since she had a good night's sleep.

"What are you doing?"

Her eyes flitted back to the paper. There was so much to put down, so much information to preserve, to ensure that it was not forgotten or even worse, distorted. It was important to get everything out in the open, documented, to make sure that the truth did not become twisted should their side not prevail. So much had changed in the past few years of her – _their_ – lives. From learning about being a supernatural, to a genetically modified supernatural, having trouble keeping track of who can trust whom, to the most recent betrayal, to who the bad guys where when compared to other bad guys. It just kept spiraling downward, becoming more and more complex.

"Pet project," she smiled. She knew that the voice wouldn't accept that as an answer. Maybe it would have worked years ago when they had first met, but that felt like five lifetimes ago.

"Care to share?" The words asked the questions whereas the tone demanded answers. He walked from the doorway into the room, walking towards her.

"I just," she started. She paused and bit the bottom of her lip. _How to explain this?_ "I j-j-just thought that it would be a good idea to put everything down on paper. I think it's important that we can look at everything objectively, you know? Sometimes memories can get confusing and with everything…," she drifted off again.

He nodded. It would be a good idea to have everything written down. It would also be an extremely dangerous one if it should ever be misplaced.

"I checked the area – you're okay," he said. A nightly ritual that lately had not been too much use. Chloe barely slept these days. She was usually chasing some idea or another, something to keep the dreams at bay. "Can you at least try to sleep tonight?"

She turned around to look at him. She didn't need to use words to communicate with him. It didn't matter that he checked the area, there were some things that he couldn't feel, couldn't sense. While there may not be any fresh, or not-that-fresh bodies lying about, there were always spirits. It wasn't a matter of location; it was a matter of her. Her glow was too strong to be fully masked. They had tried different ways of hiding it but it was never enough. Even a slight glow would catch the attention of someone and once they were close enough, they could sometimes sense that the glow was being repressed. There had been instances where it had turned out very poorly for Chloe. No matter how hard she tried, she would have to face the spirit and do something about it.

"Please?"

She ran her hands through her hair – a nervous habit she had picked up from him. She was tired, she could feel her body wanting to give up and rest. She knew that under normal circumstances, he wouldn't be as patient. Instead of asking, it would be barking orders. Instead of asking her to go somewhere, if she protested too much, he'd simply pick her up and take her there.

"I want too," she whispered, her eyes flitting up at him, asking him not to press the issue any further. "You know we can't risk it."

"We can't risk you passing out either," he argued, tone firming. His body language was tensing, anticipating resistance.

She turned back around and looked at her paper. There was so much more work to do before all of the facts were out in the open. Would there be enough time? They had been living on borrowed time for so long, it seemed like any minute the other shoe could drop and it would all be over. Rest – it was tempting.

"A few hours," she relented, her body sagging as she gave up the fight. "Everything is in place?" He nodded. "Just a few hours, you need to sleep too."

Chloe stood up and steadied herself on the chair. She closed her eyes and took in a breath. What time was it? Two? Three? Noon? She composed herself and left the room, walking towards the bedroom. She eyed the floor, walls, ceiling – all of the proper runes were there. She clutched her pendant instinctively. It was her final barrier of defense, the one thing of hers' that she still had. It wasn't the same necklace that her mother gave her – not really. She had replaced the chain and the pendant had gone from a ruby red, to purple, to blue, and finally to a light blue. No one had been able to explain it.

She lowered herself onto the bed, not bothering changing out of her clothes. She was asleep before her head hit the pillow.

He followed her into the room and grinned slyly to see that she was asleep. It was quickly replaced by a look of worry and concern. They both knew that she needed rest. The only problem was that sleep was never guaranteed to be restful for her. He clenched his jaw, not liking the helpless situation he was in. He definitely preferred a problem that he could take action against and to an extent, he could with this. He could check out the area, ensure the proper runes were in place, continue to do more research, but he couldn't fight an enemy he couldn't see.

He left the room to continue his patrol. He had switched out one concern for a bigger worry.

* * *

Chloe opened her eyes. Her body ached, stiff from being in one position too long. She looked around the room. It was empty. She grinned and yawned, it had been a long time since that happened. She sat up and stretched, catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror.

She desperately needed to clean up.

She raffled through a pile of clothes, examining a few to check for smells and if there were any major rips or tears. She grabbed some that passed the test and headed towards the bathroom.

She showered quickly and got dressed. She was in the middle of brushing her teeth when there was a knock. She opened the door, not missing a brushstroke. She raised her eyebrow, letting her face do the questioning.

"I was just checking to make sure you were almost done," he said. "Breakfast is ready, so whenever you're ready."

She turned back to the sink to spit out the toothpaste and rolled her eyes. Cereal rarely took long to prepare.

She went into the kitchen and sat down. She eyed the room and looked into the connecting living room. It was by all means a nice house. It was much nicer than what she expected when they left Badger Lake. Their previous time on the run involved run down motels, houses that the wind cut through, not to mention unreliable power and water. This was definitely a step up in that aspect, but she would have traded the luxuries if it meant everyone was together.

She went through it, and still felt like a blur to her.

Derek had roughly woken her up, telling her that she needed to grab only the true essentials and they needed to get out of Badger Lake. She had started to ask about the others, Tori, Maya, Daniel, Simon and Kit, but Derek just grimaced and urged her to focus on what was going on right now.

Something happened, something that only Derek knew and had not shared. She knew that if Simon, Kit, and Tori – Derek's family – weren't there, it was really bad. She knew that something definitely unexpected must have happened; otherwise she figured that Derek would have stopped it. A twinge of guilt went through her. She knew that he wasn't superman, he was indeed bone and flesh, but Derek was more than that too. He was a werewolf – a genetically modified, super strong, super smart werewolf. He wouldn't have abandoned his brother, his sister, his dad – his pack – if it hadn't been under extreme circumstances. Chloe still couldn't believe that it was just the two of them. Another twinge of guilt – even though she knew she was part of the pack, part of her questioned if the reason they had been able to get away was because of how things had been changing. Was it because she was now 'ranked higher' in his pack? Or was his pack primarily just the two of them now? She knew that things had been shifting; they had been together for several years now. Things seemed to escalate once everyone else went off to their respective universities and Derek decided to stay behind with her.

Was it possible that Derek let something happen to his family in order to get them – _her _ – away?

"How did you sleep," Derek asked, snapping her out of her mind. He too looked tired. His hair was lanky, face slightly tense. She knew that he was listening, smelling, trying to engage all his senses to know instantly if something changed.

"I," she started, smiling, "slept great. I guess the trick is to go without sleep as long as you'll let me."

Derek grunted, clearly not impressed with her reasoning.

Her eyes wandered back to the house. It was a scar from the great real estate bubble burst. This had been a high end luxury home with amenities that Chloe had never seen, not even in the penthouses and apartments she grew up in. Somehow, the power company never turned off the electricity and neither the city the water. Or maybe it was still in foreclosure or stuck between banks? She never really paid that much attention to things of that nature when she had the option. She was lost in her own teenage world much like most teenagers. Movies – now that was where her heart truly was – old movies new movies, good movies, and especially the bad movies. There was nothing like watching a bad movie with a tub of popcorn and good friends. Was that only a handful of years ago?

"You know what I miss?"

Derek paused, spoon in midair. His eyebrows shot up, disappearing behind his bangs.

"Halloween, Halloween movies, monster movies, _especially_ bad monster movie," Chloe blurted out.

Derek shifted uneasily, still taken by surprise. "Well," he started, "I can't say I get it. But it'll be late October soon enough. Maybe you'll run into the big bad wolf."

Chloe laughed. Of course Derek wouldn't understand, not really. He had spent the first five years of his life in a laboratory. Kit Bae took him in and raised him as his own, along with his own son Simon. They never lived in a place for very long. Kit and Simon were sorcerers and with Derek being a werewolf, Kit deemed it best that they never stayed in a place too long. Kit had his own reasons for moving too, he had left the Edison Group on less than stellar terms. He and Simon had grown up knowing what they were – a werewolf and sorcerer respectively. Growing up knowing that and then having a holiday where people dressed up as versions of "you" didn't seem the best way to endear someone to enjoying

Halloween.

Derek smiled; it had been a long time since he was able to make her laugh. Way too long.

"I imagine I'll see him before that. I used to wish that I could disappear into movies," she trailed off, still smiling. "Although I guess I should have been a bit more specific on what kind of movie. Our lives – Halloween all day every day."

Derek shook his head, noting that her jovial tone had turned somber. "So, you won't dress up as little red riding hood?"

"Only if it's the Grimms Brothers' version."

Derek shrugged.

"Well then – I'll request that you make sure you keep your muscles stretched out. I'd hate to have chewy meat."

Derek whipped his head to look at her. Man-eating? Chloe? Under normal circumstances, the joking between two people of cannibalizing the other would be a bit twisted. With a werewolf in question, it could lead to a very messy end for both parties.

"I thought you had read that as part of your werewolf folklore. You know, don't trust girls in woods that wear a red cape unless you want to turn into stew."

Derek shrugged. Suddenly he turned his head, focusing on something off in the distance. Chloe watched him, pausing her breakfast. Her heart rate picked up, not knowing if this was _it_ or if they would have time to grab what little that they had and still make a getaway. All of the tension that had been slowly evaporating from the room came crashing back in.

"False alarm," he exhaled.

Chloe ran her fingers through her hair, waiting an explanation.

"Just people headed to work. I thought the house three doors down was temporarily empty, like they were on vacation but I guess they just turn in early."

They finished the rest of their breakfast in silence.

* * *

Chloe re-read her notes from last night. Why it had never occurred to her to put everything down on paper before escaped her. It would have made certain things much easier, wouldn't it? Would they have been able to see potential allies better? Traitors? Would any of this make sense?

Derek was somewhere else in the house, probably checking all of the locks and finding new escape routes from each room.

She picked up her pen again.

_Despite our initial reservations about working with the Nasts, we relaxed. It took a while, but once a year rolled by without any one being "exterminated" or "taken care of", it seemed like it might be true. We had others come to us – a few more late bloomers from Project Phoenix, and a few that weren't part of the experiments at all. Just teenagers that happened to have a bit of extraordinary DNA._

_Part of the deal was that in the village, we would have access to mentors, books, and a chance to experiment. We needed to know what the Edison Group had done and how that had manifested in us. Once we turned 18, we would be free to go, to stay, to seek employment if we so wished. Some of us had more knowledge than others. Tori had a file that was easily five times the size of anyone else's. Her mother had been a key person in the Edison Group and thus, she had a detailed summary when something even remotely magical happened around her. Derek's file was the closest in size – although his ended when he was five. If Kit had kept notes as tedious as the ones in his first few years, it would have easily been doubled Tori's._

_As our group finished schooling, virtually all went to the university of their choice._

_Not all._

_I had to stay behind. Derek had already waited a year for me to finish my schooling. He decided he wouldn't leave until I was able too._

_Lots of promises were made._

_I don't know how many they kept._

Chloe looked at the sheet again. If she knew what kind of ending she was writing for this, it would make things easier. Would it be clearer if she knew why Derek had them flee in the middle of the night?

She called for Derek, asking him to come and talk to her.

"I need to know what is going on."

Derek sank into the couch, looking over at the table where Chloe sat.

"Are you sure?"

Silence.

"They backed out of the deal," Derek said quietly.

When they first arrived to Badger Lake, they – Simon, Derek, Tori and Chloe – made a deal. If something seemed _off_ to one of them, the rest of them would agree to take off, no questions asked. The first six months had been especially tense. They were looking at everything, listening to what was being said and more importantly, what wasn't. They went over every interaction they were a part of and were witness too. In all of their vigilance, they never found something that set off their internal alarms. Their guards went down slowly. They began having longer chats with the Phoenix group, being more truthful with the doctors or trainers. Emergency bags were taken back from different hiding spots around the town. Chloe didn't unpack the bag she kept in the back of her closet. She couldn't – she knew that if she did, it would hurt Derek.

"I don't understand."

"I don't either," his voice lowered, taking on a gruff sound. "Simon didn't even keep one bag packed. Not one. Tori was the same – only, she waited a little longer."

"Yeah, but they could have thrown something –"

"No," Derek harshly interrupted. "They couldn't, I mean they didn't want to. They said that they wanted to stay. They've been out in the world; they've been away from all of this for too long. Said I was paranoid, overreacting, and looking for a reason to bolt."

Chloe sat there in stunned silence. Finally her brain jolted back into action. "Why did we leave? Why did they think it wasn't a big deal to stay? What about Kit? I can't imagine he'd be okay with you and Simon splitting up, or you and him splitting up, or anyone splitting up like this. We've all been through so much together."

Derek nodded, his eyes transfixed to the hardwood floor.

"What was it? I mean, we really haven't talked much the past . . . beyond the essentials."

There hadn't been much talking going on between them lately. There simply had been too much to do; getting out of reach of the Nasts, making sure they weren't being tracked, going from town to town, trying to find a spot that would let them rest. Looking at the different bus routes and not having an end destination, made the stress even worse. What if they chose the wrong way to go? What if they were going towards a trap? Ultimately, they ended on a bus going to Beaupré, a small town located in eastern Quebec. Derek had found the house on the outskirts of the town, with a national park not too far from their backyard. It was a gamble. It would provide a great escape route, but it could also lead to them being trapped or being ambushed. It was the better option than being stuck in town, surrounded by people who were blissfully unaware of what creatures lived amongst them.

"Sean is dead. They don't want word getting out about it and they've made him up into such a figure that people wouldn't believe he was dead anyway. But he's dead – I know he is – I smelt him, rotting. He was coming here – I mean, _there_ – to check on the progress of everyone; I think. My guess is that either another Cabal finally found the opening they were looking for, or someone in the family wanted to get rid of him. That is what makes sense to me – but it might be something else, something entirely different. Like," he paused, weighing his words heavily before venomously spitting out, "the Edison Group wanting their toys back."

What little color she had in her face drained out quickly. Her breath quickened, her chest picking up speed rising and falling.

Derek got to his feet and kneeled in front of her. He took her hands and rubbed them with his thumbs. "Chloe, please, you need to slow your breathing down. You ready? It'll be just like before. Take a deep breath in," he paused as she took a deep breath and closed her eyes, "and I want you to visualize the movie theater. You're sitting next to me, we're holding hands, and the lights are starting to dim. The movie is about to start, and now breathe out."

Her eyes remained closed, as she exhaled; expelling the carbon dioxide from her chest. Without prompting, she took in a few more deep breaths, each time holding them a little less. She opened her eyes, her eyelids feeling heavy even though it was only mid-afternoon. She gave him a weak smile, showing that she was okay.

"You did great," he muttered, still rubbing her hands with his thumbs. "Everything is fine. Everything worked just like it was supposed to." He smiled up at her, noting that what energy she had a few minutes ago had evaporated. "I'm sorry; I should have said it differently. Its just I – I'm still grappling with everything and I should have known better."

He tucked a strand of strawberry blonde hair behind her ear. He stood, picked her up, and carefully took her back to the bedroom. He set her down on the bed and went over to her bag and pulled out a tea bag. He grabbed a mug from the bedside table and went into the bathroom to fill it up. Going back to the kitchen would take too much time; she needed the tea as soon as he could get it into her.

He hurried back to the bed; Chloe had pushed herself up into a sitting position. She gave a nod of thanks as she eagerly drank the contents of the mug. He took it back from her once she was done and she slid down the bed, the tea making her drowsy.

He watched her, as her eyes stopped fluttering and finally stayed shut, and her breath settled into a regular pattern. He headed towards the door, mug in tow, when she suddenly called to him.

"Stay with me," she said, no louder than a whisper but to him it was as though she was shouting it from the rooftops for all to hear.

He turned around to look at her; he could see the tension in her face, as she fought to keep her eyes open. He wordlessly turned back, put the mug back on the stand and got into bed beside her. He pulled her close to him, burying his face in her hair.

It had been a long time since they were this close. It wasn't a matter of them not wanting to be close, but they had to be careful and mindful of what could happen. Chloe's powers still were volatile; they never evened out like the Nasts predicted they would. She needed to be quiet and calm. They could handle the quiet, but they never really could quite master the calm when they were in close proximity. The first time it happened, Derek would swear to the day that he died, that the amount of spirits and whatever else was so loud that he could hear it; he could feel the electricity, he could feel the temperature of the room dropping, the air circulation increasing.

The doctors came, along with several necromancers, witches, and sorcerers in tow. He didn't know how long it took – _too long_ – for all of them to remove the spirits that Chloe had summoned in an instant. Since then, their interactions were heavily monitored. They had tried a few times in a controlled setting – a lab in one of the medical facilities with staff on standby should there be a repeat – but while it wasn't as severe as the first, it was still uncontrollable. He noticed that her pendant had changed color again – it had been stable for years up until that point. He didn't mention it to the doctors. His gut told him that would be something he would have to find out on his own.

The first time had been the last time that he had kissed her – _really _kissed her. In the months that passed, occasionally he'd be bold enough to ever so quickly give her a quick peck on the cheek, but nothing more.

He remembered how strange it was; sitting in the office, listening to how volatile and dangerous someone was and the subject was not him. He should have been the danger – he was the 6 foot 4 inch, 220 pound werewolf – someone people mistook as some sort of professional football player or a guy on steroids. He looked, or he assumed, like a guy that was into less than legal activities based on how people reacted to him. How could Chloe be the dangerous one? She was a foot shorter and a hundred pounds lighter than him, not to mention the innocent big blue eyes and blonde hair. On a windy day, she could be in danger of flying away. The biggest danger she should present to anyone was annoying them or maybe being underfoot.

He remembered how she looked as though she wasn't hearing anything, as though she was in a daze. His logical and fact seeking brain wouldn't let him escape the situation. He had to listen how they just could not work as a couple, how –given time – they might be able to reconsider being friends, but only meeting in large groups. They doubted that they could have any safe, meaningful time alone. Ever. The meeting lasted an eternity; listening to how everything he had envisioned for the two of them, go up in smoke. They would be _lucky_ to someday become friends?

That was three years ago.

They didn't believe the doctors. It just didn't make sense. It was a fluke – things had simply been exaggerated – and the doctors weren't sure of their powers so they wanted to cap them off where they felt comfortable dealing with them. They continued to see each other and even continued to date, despite repeated meetings urging Derek to break it off. They tried once with Chloe and it did not end well. She spent the next week asleep.

Even Kit had started giving nudging hints a year after the incident. Talking about how the future held so many different possibilities, that he shouldn't limit himself to the first girl that ever expressed interest in him, how it wasn't fair to either of them. Fair: that was a loaded word that Derek knew didn't apply to any of them. None of them had signed up to be part of a genetic experiment; the entire blame lay with their parents. Kit suggesting that Derek simply _move on_ stung. They had talked a lot about werewolves and their traits. Moving on simply wasn't an option for Derek, there would be no other girls; there simply couldn't. Sure, he could try and see where things went with someone else, but even considering it made him nauseated. It wasn't unheard of a werewolf finding a non-werewolf mate, according to their so-called werewolf expert. There were a handful of records indicating that it was possible, especially since up until a handful of years ago, there was only one female werewolf in existence. Most of the records suggested that it didn't end well, mostly because it _was_ a werewolf-human relationship. Their expert didn't have any sort of record about a relationship with another supernatural. Derek didn't think much about their "expert". The only new knowledge that Derek had received from him was about the "werewolf mate" concept – and he suspected that the only reason he was able to get that was because of the incident. Just another voice making the _suggestion_ that they were doomed and he should throw in the towel.

Derek still wasn't one hundred percent convinced that such a mate concept existed in the first place. If it did, it certainly would have trouble logically since typically mates are the same – for example, two penguins, two swans, two gibbons, two humans. Since female werewolves were virtually non-existent, it did call into question how a werewolf could find a 'mate' in something that was unlike itself. It made sense that werewolves had tried to make relationships work with humans – especially considering the lack of female werewolves – and similarly, he reasoned that the relationships ending could be chalked up to anything that would be typical in a strictly human relationship. It sounded like something that they thought sounded legitimate enough, much like how they initially stressed that he should only Change on a monthly basis. That didn't go over very well. He had given it two attempts, but by the end of a week and a half, his body forced it. He found that at minimum he should Change once a week, but ideally twice. He used to be fine with the weekly, but like so many other things three years ago, things had to be accommodated.

And logically, why would they tell him about the concept and then tell him that he needed to start seeing other people? If the concept was correct, did that mean Chloe was his mate? Or was she not? Or did it not matter at all and things were still subject to free will? Or was he trying to will it to be true? It simply didn't make sense – unless perhaps they never intended to tell him about it. Perhaps he was never supposed to find out about it.

He wrestled with it for a few months before giving up. Free will is what he decided. He couldn't hold himself or Chloe to a concept that might not be true. Even if it was true, he didn't know how it could be proven. How could it be tested? Should they have simply broken up three years ago and see how they felt afterwards? Heartache was heartache. He had seen Simon and Tori go through it multiple times. Sometimes their heartache lingered for weeks; other times it lingered for months. Breaking up to see how long it hurt could be some sort of test. Bu wouldn't it defeat the whole purpose of the test? What good are the results if they can't be replicated? How many times would they have to break up? Wouldn't breaking up for the sake of breaking up defeat the whole purpose of seeing how long the pain lasted, knowing it was all just temporary?

It was too complicated. Mythology had its place in their world, but surely they had control over their emotions. Free will. It had to come down to that. If they couldn't make choices concerning that, what type of decisions could they make? It had to be due to free will, independent choices. Despite his urgency to believe it, his gut still tugged that it was something more than that.

Chloe didn't know about the concept. Derek had kept it to himself and planned on keeping it to himself.

Despite this, they ignored the doctors' orders – even Chloe's Aunt Lauren's. That had been another eventful day. Aunt Lauren had reminded Chloe again of the _situation_ and how it would just be better for everyone if Derek was no longer in their lives. Lauren had never particularly cared for Derek and this cemented her feelings. The last time Chloe and Lauren talked, it ended very badly. Chloe was given her own residence, away from the rest of the town. Lauren stayed in the house that they once shared but did not go and visit her formerly beloved niece. Derek wasn't even sure when the last time they had any sort of meaningful interaction. He had never been able to get her to talk to him about that last fight.

With Chloe's residence being on the opposite side of town – and not by accident, Derek supposed as the house he shared with his family was on the edge of the forest – their time was limited. Derek didn't sleep well the first few months – he'd wake up periodically in the night to walk to Chloe's house and check the woods. Chloe had been furious with him the first time she caught him. She had suspected that he simply wasn't sleeping well; he always seemed tired, a little distant, and not quite as alert as he normally was. When she went out in the deck – during a mild snowstorm too – and saw him walking on the edge of the trees, she was furious at him. After the fifth time she caught him, she proposed a solution. While he officially lived with Kit, Simon and Tori, he would spend the nights at her house. He had his own bedroom next to Chloe's. While it wasn't ideal for their preferences, it seemed to be the best that they could manage. Even with a wall separating them, she was close enough that he found that he didn't need to patrol the woods multiple times a night. Chloe seemed to sleep better too, if only for the fact that if she heard something in the night, it was now more likely Derek grabbing a snack in the kitchen instead of wondering what undead creature was skulking outside her window.

While they were sure it was probably one of the town's worst kept secrets, they were never approached by one of the doctors or staff members about stopping their sleeping arrangements. At that point, they seemed more than happy to be as hands off as possible. They never brought it up when going over their notes and they never offered it up. It was a delicate truce as Derek knew that if something happened, it would all come down on their heads and the immensely likelihood of one of them being removed and placed in a different community or worse.

Chloe seemed to stabilize with this new arrangement. She made up her lost progress with her training and seemed to be their rising star again. She listened to her senses, knowing the days that she needed to simply rest and days where she pushed her limits. She wanted to become better at determining who was alive and who was a ghost. The doctors did not think it was wise – probably because they didn't want to lose control over the training, or fearing what the ghosts might tell or warn her.

Derek wasn't allowed to watch her while she trained. No one was: not Simon, Tori, or even Kit. They rationalized it by explaining that every scenario still had an unknown and dangerous element. They simply didn't want anyone to become hurt. Derek had wondered if it really wasn't Chloe's idea – that she didn't want them to see _what_ she could do. Reanimating corpuses were far from a cheery image. It was possible that she didn't want them to watch something that was so disturbing.

The rest of the training they would occasionally drop by and watch. Tori's were always amusing to watch. She – more often than not – would go off script and do something that took her trainer off guard. If they wanted her to light a fire in a certain shape and she wasn't in the most cooperative of moods, she'd do something else – summon a swarm of locusts, create a mini-swamp – anything to remind them that she was in charge of the lessons.

Derek's training was a straightforward as expected – learning how to Change more efficiently, faster; learning how to track as a human; it was all things that he expected. Despite their promises, he still had not been introduced to the Pack. He wasn't sure if it was a lack of interest on their part, the doctors' reasoning, or if it was something entirely else. It bugged at him that he was still the only werewolf. Chloe had other necromancers, Simon had other sorcerers, and Tori had access to sorcerers and witches. It bugged at him they had others that could directly relate to. Instead of Simon complaining about the pronunciation to him, he'd complain to the other sorcerers. Even Chloe had confided less about her ghoulish encounters to him until he had pointed it out.

It made him anxious.

They were all developing and growing and he was not a part of that. They had their own repertoire and he could only try to follow along. They were developing ties to the others, to the town. Was that what the Nasts wanted? Derek could only remind himself that they had all agreed to the deal and that if the time came, they all would abide by it.

The time came and they didn't.

He had been on his usual run route, trying to work off some restless energy. He was on his second lap when he had smelled it. It was distinctly not quite human and very dead. He stopped. Was this some sort of training they were setting him up for? Or was it for Chloe? He didn't think that they were comfortable with her reanimating a human corpse when they seemed more content with the animals in the forest.

He stopped and smelt the air again. He followed the smell into the forest, keeping an eye out to see if there were any trainers lurking in the trees. He didn't hear or see anything that suggested this was a trap. He kept going, carefully.

He saw it – the ground had been disturbed here – and something felt off about it. He looked around, his instincts on high alert. He started moving the dirt on one end. He started slow, unsure, but as the smell increased in strength, his mind started to recognize that he had smelled this scent before. He sped up, not taking care to be neat.

He sat back on his heels.

"Oh fuck me."

Sean's scent wasn't the only one he recognized.

* * *

**A/N:** Thanks for reading the chapter! Like it? Hate it? Please give me your thoughts! As a bonus to the **first ten reviewers**, I'll give something extra. Please post a short story idea or a concept and I'll post a drabble involving it! The drabbles will be posted as their own story before I upload chapter two. :)


	2. Plans

**A/N:** Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed/added the story to their favorites or alerts! **To those of who reviewed (or sent me a message asking questions) the first chapter, please check out ****_Tales of Another Life_**** for your drabble! The same thing goes for this chapter! First ten reviewers receive a drabble of their choice or I will surprise you with one!** If you're one of them, you can either leave it as part of the review or I'll message you and see what your interests are.

Another shout-out goes out to **random-k** for proofreading this. I have replaced my love of misused dashes with commas.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the _Darkest Powers_, _Darkness Rising_, or _Women of the Otherworld_ series.

* * *

**Chapter 2: Plans**

"Hey there, sleepyhead." Chloe grumbled, nuzzling against Derek's chest. She was grinning, happy, enjoying the moment.

Derek opened his eyes, taking in his surroundings. He was in Chloe's room, in Chloe's bed, and quite noticeably close to her.

"I didn't mean to fall asleep," he mumbled. His brain was processing last night's events, they had started talking about the start of their escape when Chloe had gotten too upset; no, _he_ had upset her too much. He knew that he should feel guilty about it, but right now he was taking in the moment. Waking up with Chloe? That hadn't happened since they were on the run the first time. Sure, they might take a nap leaning or next to the other, but spending the entire night, together, in one bed? Well, the bed aspect certainly narrowed it down to a handful of times. There had been plenty of times when they had accidentally fallen asleep in the woods when he was Changed. Those nights seemed like a carefree memories, the world at their feet.

"Are you okay?"

"Don't worry; the zombies are much politer than the last ones I summoned. They're waiting out in the garden. Do you think they'll take tea?"

Derek rubbed his face, opening his eyes to glare at her.

"Since when are you a morning person?"

"Um, since I woke up and realized that I spent the night with my boyfriend and it didn't threaten the local vicinity with a small army of zombies. Can't you be a little excited about it?"

"I am, I just –"

"Don't over think this. Just enjoy it. We were normal for a night. Or the sleeping part of the night at least. I think we should try it again. Soon. Like, tonight? Tonight. Please?"

"Some thinking has to go into this. In case you forgot, You were pretty much knocked out last night. Ring any bells? You had your tea and I must have fallen asleep while waiting for you to start sleeping heavy. I – shit! I need to check out the woods."

"We'll talk about this, right?" Chloe looked at him, nerves building. This could not have been a fluke. She had a lot more control than she did three years ago. She hadn't accidentally raised anything in six months. This had to be a sign that maybe –just maybe – things could progress. Handholding and gazing only satisfied so much. This wasn't the 18th century, and they were a long way past junior high. Although the butterflies in her stomach certainly had a strong argument that maybe they weren't as far as she hoped.

"Yeah," he said gruffly, as he stood up and left the room.

She watched him go into his room, come out a few moments later, and heard him go out the side door. Once she was sure he was done checking the perimeter of the house and was headed towards the woods, she let out a squeal and a victory dance.

Today was going to be a good day. She couldn't remember when she had woken up last with such … hope? A good sort of excitement filling her completely full to the point of almost bursting?

Derek didn't return until she was downstairs, cleaning up the kitchen out of boredom.

"Did any villagers with pitchforks find you?"

"Much to your disappointment, I am pitchfork free, although I know a necromancer that might need a poke or two."

Chloe laughed and Derek rolled his eyes. "I thought the guy was supposed to be in the gutter."

"You're much too proper to be in the gutter. I'm pretty impressed that you even know that phrase."

"I lived with Simon, remember?" Derek stopped.

The light atmosphere was immediately sucked out of the room. Tension and heaviness replaced it, a reminder of how unstable everything was in their lives. How quickly things had changed by merely mentioning Simon. His and Tori's absence was heavily felt by the both of them, an unintended heavy blow. Instead of hearing quips about how he shouldn't eat something and Tori would be more than happy to remove the temptations, it was silence. Instead of hearing a shriek followed by Simon's unmistakable laugh, there was paranoia lurking around every corner. Who knew that she could miss hearing daily arguments so much?

Simon and Tori's relationship had slowly turned into some sort of brother-sister relationship over the years. While it never seemed to ever _mature_, they both seemed to enjoy the constant bickering. Chloe supposed that Simon never really had a chance to experience that part of a sibling relationship with Derek. No, he wouldn't have. Derek didn't see the point of bickering for fun, taking stabs at each other just to provoke a reaction. It was fun for Chloe to watch since she had never really been witness to such a dynamic. Sure, she had seen something like it when she went to sleepovers and inevitably the host's little brother or sister would try to get in on the fun or an older sibling would casually slip a partially embarrassing story, but it wasn't the same. She had only glimpses into that world. She had a complete view, or at least she did until they left.

Silence.

"Why didn't Simon believe you," Chloe asked softly.

"I don't know. Denial, maybe? Things were working out so great for him there, why would he willingly change things up? He had me out of his hair, so he could finally focus on just him and his life and figuring out where he wants to go. People _get_ him and he likes it. He's off studying art like he always wanted to without having to worry about footing the bill. He's still planning on launching some sort of studio or comic after he graduates in the spring. He has _plans_. If he bolts, he throws all of that away."

"So there isn't anything you can think of that might make him skeptical? You didn't say anything to him before? I heard that you two had a pretty big fight not too long before we left."

Derek sat down at the table, resting his head in his hands. A few moments passed and he let out a heavy sigh. "We did."

"You don't think that it's related to him not believing you? And Tori? Kit? Derek, _tell_ me."

He looked over at her, his deep green eyes full of turmoil and pain. He gestured for her to take a seat opposite him. She walked over to the chair as though she was being pulled, her body tense with fear and apprehension.

"It was about you."

Chloe started to interrupt ,but he held up his hand, to let her know, that he would finish if she gave him the chance.

"They all love you. I want you to remember that. Even Tori, she was the closest person that was on your side about all of this. I think she might have really been the only person on your side."

"Just tell me, Derek. I'll be able to handle it but I don't think I can handle you just beating around the bush."

"You remember after we were observed and the doctors' gave their moronic opinions on how at best we could hope to one day become friends, we had our separate meetings?"

Chloe nodded.

"At mine, they suggested that I start dating other people and reconsider moving for college," Derek snorted. "I don't remember how many meetings they had me sit in where it was just the same garbage over and over. They eventually stopped having them with me, but apparently they switched to have the meetings with them. They talked to Simon next. I guess they figured he had the best read on the girls there since he's Mr. Popular.

"At first, he had the same reaction. But about six months after, he started dropping hints around me. Just passing along little tidbits about the girls he thought that might be suitable or a few university pamphlets. After a year, Dad started trying to bring it up with me. Saying the same garbage that Lauren loved to spout at you – first person that took an interest, so young, all of that nonsense mess. Tori was the last. I guess they weren't sure if they could trust her not to tell me everything. Once she figured out what their game plan was, she told me. She was surprised that I hadn't figured it out and yelled at everyone about it."

He paused and shook his head, a small smile creeping in. "Who would have thought Tori would be more loyal than the guys that took me in? She told me that she thought it was garbage, but she was worried for you. She thought that if you saw that I was moving on, you might be able to move on and have some happiness of your own.

"A few months ago, one of the school teachers approached me about doing some tutoring for a few students that were struggling with calculus. Remember how I used to do that with physics until they were able to acquire a half way decent teacher? But, yeah, they thought that maybe a different approach would help them. I agreed to it, it seemed innocent enough. Despite your opinion, math can be quite fun. But back to the point – tutoring. It was legitimate, she was terrible at math. It was challenging, although I'm still questioning exactly how bad she was. But, it was a set-up. After our last session, she tried to make a move and let it slip that Simon was somehow involved."

Chloe was quiet, jaw tense, lips pressing together into a thin line and then returning back to normal. Derek continued.

"So, I found Simon, dragged him to the woods and let him have it. He brought up the college thing trying to change the subject and accidentally let it slip about Dad and Tori while trying to rationalize everything."

Chloe looked at him, and in a voice no louder than a whisper, "You can, you know –"

His hands shot across the table, roughly grabbing hers'.

"Never. Chloe – never. We _will_ figure this out, okay? I don't want you to even think that I'm done. The only person that can call us done is you, you hear me? If you want to call it quits," he inhaled, pausing, "you can. Until I hear the words from your mouth, no one will ever be an option for me."

He didn't like lying to Chloe. He knew that there would never be anyone "after Chloe", but she didn't need to know that. She didn't need that extra pressure, the extra stress. She would take it as a sign that she would need to make sure that he was happy and try to find a way to make it work, even if her heart wasn't in it. He didn't want her to feel responsible for his happiness. But, he needed to let her know that she shouldn't feel pressured by their situation to stay with him. He only wanted her to be happy. He would gladly sacrifice anything- even himself- if it would make her happy.

Instantly he internally winced – despite meaning to- he _had_ put all of the relationship pressure on her. It was what he had so desperately tried to avoid when he was sorting out that 'mate' nonsense that the trainers had mentioned on only one occasion. He knew that he should say something, to correct it, to say that it would take both of them to call it off, but he couldn't. His stomach heaved and his throat went dry. He couldn't say those words if his life depended on it.

She nodded, eyes glistening with tears. She took in a deep breath, blinking rapidly. "So you think because of … their involvement that they thought you were making Sean's death up?"

"It's the only thing that makes sense. But I'm not wrong. You can't fake a specific person's rotting flesh like that. I smelt him, I touched him. If you wanted to, you could summon him. He is gone and by the looks of it, had been for a while. You know me; I wouldn't have left if it was just some idiotic nonsense interfering about trying to get me to date other people."

"I know," Chloe breathed. Her mind was a whirlwind, processing all of the information Derek had shared with her. Dating other people? Simon and the others were on board with the idea? Trying to convince Derek to go to university by himself? It all seemed so bizarre. It made sense logically, but it didn't make any sense emotionally. If their hearts were in the right place, could she really begrudge them trying to nudge them apart? If they lived for fleeting pecks on the cheek and sleeping in the same bed after she was dead to the world, would it be better if they were to try to find some happiness with other people? But wait – could they try for more? Last night was a huge leap forward. They had never tried sleeping in the same bed since they restricted their activities. Could it be repeated if it was normal sleep? Would Derek be willing to try?

Her brain processed the rest of Derek's tale. Sean had been dead for a while? And buried not too far from Badger Lake? Was this some sort of sign? A warning of some sorts? Could everyone in Badger Lake be in danger, right now? Or was it all just a fluke since they were so remote? Her brain kicked into overdrive. Could she summon Sean? It could possibly provide answers. However, sometimes the death is so traumatic that the ghost doesn't recall what happened or who they were with. If Sean had been murdered, that raised the probability of him not remembering significantly.

"Did you –" Chloe started.

"I need a break from this," Derek said, standing up from the table abruptly. "I'm going to do a quick check and then how about we have lunch out in the woods?"

Chloe gave a slight nod.

* * *

"How many more days do you think we'll have like this?" Chloe looked at their surroundings, the leaves had started to change colors, and some had already started falling. Their air was cooler and crisp. It evoked memories of school starting, pumpkins, avoiding all football talk.

"Maybe a few more weeks before the temperature start's dropping."

"This is a pretty nice spot, secluded but not too far from civilization if we need to make a break for it. There's the forest, the cemetery is on the other side of town…" Chloe trailed off. An optimistic wish. She scanned the trees and took in the scents of the forest. "Do you think we can stay here for a while?"

"Maybe. It'd be nice."

"Mmm." Chloe agreed. They had already stayed here longer than any other place in the past six months. Could this be their safe haven? Being on the road in the winter would be much harder, not to mention they would have to acquire a new wardrobe on the road. Winter would turn into spring and the seasons would continue to change. She assumed that the Nasts were looking for them. Or maybe they had just written them off. If they made a big fuss about retrieving them, it'd look suspicious to the other Cabals, assuming any of them besides the St. Clouds were aware of their existence. If there wasn't anything going on, why couldn't they just leave the Nasts without any repercussions? Wasn't that part of the deal?

She wasn't sure how long they spent in comfortable silence. She turned off her brain; there would be plenty of restless nights and long days to spend thinking and over thinking every possible scenario. There wouldn't be countless carefree afternoons spent lounging in the forest with Derek.

* * *

Neither one of them brought up their sleeping arrangements later that day, or the next, or even the ones after that. They continued as they had, comfortable in their routine. She had her runes in her room while Derek had their emergency bags packed and ready to go in his.

It wasn't a matter of neither one wanting to continue their habits, but a matter of practicality. It wouldn't be wise for Chloe to drink the tea every night. It introduced the risk that her system would start to build up a tolerance for it. If they hoped to stay here for any span of time, they needed to not draw attention to themselves.

A month passed and Chloe started to feel uneasy. If they stayed here much longer, it would be hard to leave. It'd be hard to leave now. She had grown attached to the house and the woods. Watching the skyline change each day was just a reminder of how quickly the days were passing by.

Derek was lying on the couch, reading another book that he had somehow procured from somewhere. His reading these days switched between necromancy and werewolves. He didn't have the luxury of bringing his own academic textbooks. She looked at the volume, the aged cover and darkened pages.

"So what is today's fascinating topic?"

"Ancient runes – yesterday's forgotten treasure or today's big waste of time," he sighed. "You sure they're actually helping? That it's not some sort of placebo effect?"

Chloe plopped into the overstuffed chair next to the couch. "Yes, I mean – I think they're helping. It isn't as much as what the doctors said it would. Or maybe it would if I wasn't Super Undead Girl."

"You don't smell undead."

Chloe raised an eyebrow at him.

"Well, there might be a slight twinge of it but that's only when you're actually summoning something."

"Well, that answers an uncomfortable question that I've been meaning to ask you for a while." Chloe shifted uncomfortably, desperately wanting something to do so that it would at least give her a purpose. Or at least make her feel a little less awkward while she processed her new smell, 'undead'.

"It really is just a twinge, barely noticeable."

"You're really not helping."

"So how can I help?"

"What is our next move?" Chloe blurted out quickly.

One of the many elephants in the room had been addressed. Derek couldn't brush her off saying he needed to check on things, couldn't make an excuse about being tired. Finally she would have an answer.

"You used to talk to me about these things, planning moves, making the big decisions," Chloe continued, a response to not receiving an answer from Derek. She had opened a floodgate and she didn't know when it would ever stop. "I need to know what is going on here. My opinion counts for something, right? Or maybe I might have noticed something that you hadn't? You can't put everything on you. I know you don't want to _upset_ me because _we just can't do that_ but give me some credit. It's been months, not weeks. We're both grown-ups. If I screw up, I'll deal with it.

Derek sat up, closing the ancient volume. He tried to keep his face blank but it was Chloe. His usual reactions to people fell apart when it was just the two of them. Even if they were in a group, she could still read him like an open book while the others were completely oblivious. He didn't even know why he bothered to even try. It might have been that they rarely had heated disagreements so his default response was to treat it like a conversation he was having with someone else. Not that he wanted to be especially practiced arguing with Chloe, but it would certainly be useful when they did.

"Things have chan-"

"No, you do _not_ get to say that."

"They have," Derek spat back. "Despite your insisting, things cannot be like they were before. We know better than to do all of the stupid things we did the first time. And most of that was because you were too timid to speak up. 'Oh sure, I can sleep in a house with a dead body, no big deal!' 'I'll follow Tori into dark alleys and then hang around so that she can get away'. So, you have a problem, speak up."

"I did say something," her voice taut. "So I would _appreciate_ it if you would stop walking around on eggshells around me. I can't believe that you're doing it. Still. I'm not going to get mad and raise half the town."

"It wasn't just the dead people."

That caught Chloe off guard. Not just the dead people? Did he, how could he know about the others?

"I could _feel_ it, whatever it was. The energy in the air, the air moving, whatever was in the air, I could _sense_ it, them, whatever it was. It wasn't just ghosts, I know that much."

Derek watched her face, not knowing how she'd react. Would she be angry? Upset? Sad? At what part: at him not telling her or for him finally telling her? Should this been something that he kept to himself, not let her know that he had an idea of what she could possibly do?

"Well," Chloe said, her voice thick, "congratulations at keeping that lovely piece of information to yourself for so long and not sharing it with me. You truly know what a _freak_ you're with," she spat before she left. Derek listened to her footfalls and the slam of her bedroom door.

He hung his head in his hands for a moment.

_That_ did certainly did not go well.

Or maybe it did? He tensed and surveyed the empty room. Chloe's scent heavily hung in the air – he deeply inhaled.

It was within the realm of her normal scent. No trace of the unpleasant summoning undead smell.

His shoulders sagged from the tension escaping. He stood up and followed Chloe's path to her bedroom. He paused in front of the door. Should he knock or just walk in? He didn't have to make the decision – Chloe yanked the door open, her face clearly spelled out that furious was a mild way of describing her mood.

"I have water heating for my tea. You don't need to remind me, or do it for me, or make sure that I drink it. I'll be a good girl and just go to sleep so you don't have to worry about the big scary ghosts getting you."

"Chloe, just, stop, you don't need it."

"So you want half of the dead town knocking on our door soon?"

"Your scent, right now, there isn't the summoning part to it. You didn't raise anything."

Chloe watched him carefully, her face had now shifted to distrust.

"I think there is something to these runes after all. Because, you were- I mean are- pretty pissed off. At me. Which," he paused, "might be justifiable?"

"Way past that." She glared at him, his words slowly sinking in. The tea wasn't necessary? It wasn't needed at all? Disregarding the scent part – it was something that she could have done without knowing for a bit longer – could this possibly be another positive sign? Her feet moved her to her bed and she sat down.

Derek took a tentative step inside her room.

"I should be talking to you about what steps we're taking. You were right."

"And if I was right, that means that you were…"

"Wrong," he said as he sat next to her.

"And?"

Derek grimaced, he hated this part. "I'm sorry," he grumbled.

"Today is shaping to be pretty alright. I didn't raise the dead and Derek was wrong." Chloe smiled. It wasn't often that she could drag an apology out of him. "So you think the runes are doing what they're supposed to do?"

"Maybe. It could be that, your powers might have finally evened out, a combination of the two or maybe you were just too distracted by me."

"I think they're working. But I'd still like to keep them around, as a safety precaution." The idea that her powers had finally stabilized was a very tempting and seductive thought. It could open up a realm of possibilities that Chloe had closed off a long time ago. No more poking and prodding, or long and extensive sessions where they tried to match her emotional reaction with her body's response, no more people walking around eggshells around her, no more hushed whispers when new people came into town and asked about her. The town's official story was that she had summoned a particularly nasty ghost and couldn't send him back. And it was true, partially, only it was quite a bit more than just the one. And there may have been other otherworldly beings in the mix. Only, Chloe realized, none of that mattered anymore, not since they had left the Nasts. She wouldn't be subject to any of those things. Not anymore.

Derek nodded; he had been thinking the same thing. "I should have talked to you about all of this before it came to this point. Everything is complicated."

"Mmm," Chloe agreed. "So our next step?"

"You sure you want to talk about this now?"

"Why not? I've already blown up at you once today."

"You want to go for two?"

Chloe laughed, she wasn't sure if there had been a time where they had several nasty arguments in a day.

"I don't know exactly how to say this. So I'll just say it. I think we should go to the Pack."

Chloe looked at him, waiting for a sheepish grin and an "I'm kidding, I don't know what we're doing next" confession. A moment passed and it didn't come. Another passed, still nothing.

"I know it doesn't make sense, Chloe. But, I think they can possibly help us."

"Oh yes, I'm sure the chainsaw gang would be more than willing to help liberate your limbs one by one. They never responded to your attempts to get in contact with them before. They're clearly not interested. Why would you even think that we need to go to them? Or that they wouldn't just kill us on sight? Isn't that standard protocol with them and -"

Chloe caught herself. She had almost said "mutts".

"It's about Sean. The body, the way it was disposed of – I'm pretty sure that some werewolves are involved, somehow."

"Remember their fondness of chainsaws? I don't think they have any qualms about killing people."

When they had first heard about the legendary pictures of a werewolf being dismembered by a chainsaw, they had both chalked it up to a tall tale- a boogeyman- to keep other werewolves in line. That was, of course, until they had seen the pictures themselves. Derek suspected the reason they showed them was to keep him in line regarding the Pack. It served as a stark reminder of what was possible if he didn't have the protection of the Nast Cabal if he ran into the Pack.

"It doesn't make sense for someone to randomly go after Sean. He isn't a "nobody" sorcerer – he's, he was the head of the Nasts. You don't do something like that unless you have a plan."

"Maybe they wanted in on whatever business the Nasts were doing, they didn't get what they wanted, and they killed Sean to send a message."

"If they wanted to send a message, why bury him in the woods away from Nast headquarters? Why Canada and not L.A.? If they wanted to send a message, it would have been much more explicit and public."

Today would be a day to remember, Chloe was close to blowing up at him again. After she took a moment to compose herself, she sighed. "What do you think happened?"

"I know," Derek started cautiously, waiting to see if he would be interrupted. When Chloe didn't make any motion to interrupt he continued, "that some werewolves are involved, but most likely not the Pack. I think the werewolves were probably the hired muscle of whoever wanted in on the Nasts' business. If we bring this information to the Pack, they should grant us some protection until this all blows over. They want the supernatural world crashing on their heads as much as we do."

"But what proof do you have? Why would they believe you? And wait, how do you know that werewolves were involved? Did you see anyone?"

"I smelled them. It was faint because the body had been there for a while, but trust me; I'd recognize the scents anywhere."

"Scents? Derek, you're holding back on me."

"Yeah, scents."

"What do you mean, scents?"

"I recognized them."

"Like just recognized them as werewolves or was it something more?" Chloe's voice had a hard edge to it.

"The Cains are involved in it, somehow."

"You're joking."

Derek smiled at her, "I wish I were."

"You sure you want to go to the Pack? You don't want to get their side of the story?" Chloe certainly did not see that coming. Their last run in with the Cains was years ago. They had spent several months on the road with Kit and Lauren when somehow the Cains had found out about Derek and tracked him down. Chloe assumed that Ramon had told someone – possibly the Pack, if he did turn himself in like he claimed when Ramon and Liam discovered them on their way to Andrew's house – about Derek being a Cain.

It wasn't the best family to be associated with. The Cains certainly had a reputation within the werewolf community and possibly a feud with the Pack. They weren't sure if it had been before or after the feud started, but Derek's biological father was Zachary Cain; a werewolf that was tortured and killed by the Pack when he joined an uprising against them. Ramon had helpfully let them know that all Cains were known as being "big as a house, ugly as a mud fence, and dumb as a brick." Chloe disagreed with the idea of Derek being considered ugly and no one could feasibly argue that Derek wasn't intellectually gifted. He was, as Ramon pointed out, as big as a house. He was sixteen when they had run into Ramon and, his partner in crime, Liam and he was even larger now at twenty-one. Liam was the first, and as far as she knew the only, werewolf Derek had killed – killed because he was defending _her_.

While Derek certainly didn't express any remorse at meeting and then leaving his biological werewolf family, Chloe still felt some guilt over it. Derek's cousin Carter had used her as a bargaining chip. Derek could have Chloe back unharmed if he swore to never contact the Cains. Despite knowing that Derek wasn't upset about it, Chloe knew that he could have used their knowledge and experience about being a werewolf. The training Derek received was less than stellar. He frequently let her know about how pointless some of the exercises were or how they would tell him something one month and then the next month, the opposite would be true in regards to folklore and werewolf history. He needed another werewolf to train with if he wanted to become better. He knew that Liam was a fluke, Liam was already badly injured and in human form when Derek killed him.

"The Pack is the best way to handle this. They know the Cains better we do. It might have been a set up to lure me out to the Cains. But the Pack needs to know. If Sean isn't safe, no one is."

"And you're okay with that?"

"They know better than we do what has been started," Derek said. There was a tone of finality to his voice.

"I suppose," Chloe said. "Still. I mean - "

"It's not about that Chloe. It's about making sure that we're out of harm's way, or at least as far as we can manage. The Pack – that's it. They're our best bet. If it turns out we're over our heads, we'll figure out a way to get away."

"I'm sure they have corpses somewhere around their headquarters. I can't imagine they'd be buried in a local cemetery."

Derek laughed, "Zombie werewolves. That would certainly get their attention."

Chloe gave a small laugh, "I'm serious, you know."

"I know."

"So we're going back to New York? Do you know anything about where they might be?"

"Kit always said Syracuse was where they were based out of. I remember Ramon saying that they had claimed all of New York. Kit probably would know here their headquarters were and just didn't know about the rest of it. I think that is the best starting point for us."

Chloe noted that he had called Kit by his name instead of 'Dad', but didn't mention it. Perhaps another day when they weren't both emotionally wiped from arguing and deciding their next step.

"We don't have to go there immediately, do we?"

"Maybe not immediately but we need to start preparing for the trip. We'll leave as soon as that's done. We'll have more leverage if we're the first."

Just like that it was over. Their unexpected time at their safe haven was drawing to a rapid close. They started going through their belongings ; clothes, bags, books. Each time they made a stop, they tried to leave as little behind but meanwhile only keeping the essentials. It was a fine line, considering that they tried not to venture into town more than necessary.

Sooner than Chloe would have liked, their bags were packed for the last time. Their travel options this time were more concrete than before. They had a set destination and they needed to get there soon. Chloe decided that they were flying. Flying there or trying to figure out how to get to the closest bus station that would take them back to New York? It would just be simpler to have a direct mode of transportation.

The only dilemma was their identities. Would they need fakes? Or risk traveling under their names?

"I thought this might come up at some point," Derek said when Chloe asked his opinion. She was leaning towards fakes but what about their identification? She didn't think the TSA would simply let them through if she explained their situation. The only thing that would result from that would be a lengthy interrogation and a visit to the psychiatric ward in the local hospital if they were lucky.

Derek looked through one of his bags. "Here it is," he said, pulling out a manila envelope. "I had Tori make up some fakes for us a while back. There's your passport, driver's license, and some debit cards that we'll switch to."

Chloe grabbed her driver's license. The photo could have been better, but she supposed a good picture would be an immediate tip that it was less than legitimate. The same went for her passport photo.

"So, I'm Melissa Moore and you're?"

"David."

"And your last name is?"

"Moore. I thought it'd be easier to pass as a couple instead of trying for siblings or friends."

"Are you saying we don't look like friends?"

"Not really, no. More people pay attention to body language than you realize. It's still small, but this way we don't have to alter our behavior while traveling."

"I guess that makes sense. Although there is a flaw in that logic ; we're a couple now and we don't have the same last name," Chloe said. Derek rolled his eyes. She entered the information for Melissa and David Moore into the booking portion of the website. "And the debit cards are active?"

"Yeah, they're indirectly linked to your regular account. Tori knows a surprisingly amount of information about these types of things. I think she might have helped herself to whatever money her mom had."

"Wait, are these safe? If Tori made all of this, why are we using them? Wouldn't she just tell the Nasts the names?"

Derek paused and for a moment looked uncomfortable. "She won't," he said, finally. "Even though she didn't come, she won't tell them about this. If she even remembers making these, I doubt she remembers the names. It was a few years ago."

"Yeah, Tori the computer genius surely can't find a way at finding files that should remain hidden."

"She can't if the computer she did all the work on is fried."

"You _were_ overly paranoid in the beginning." Chloe remembered that Tori's first computer lasted six months before suffering a power surge and everything was deemed a total loss. Despite her insistence, she didn't have an external hard drive to back everything up until after her computer bit the dust. Tori had chalked it up to the Nasts wanting to be cheap since they were seen as a "luxury" and "not necessary" to casual users. She was in a foul mood for a month but as a result, she was able to custom build her next computer and finally received the external to periodically back up her files.

Derek shrugged and put his passport in his carry on and his debit and driver's license in his wallet.

"Tomorrow is the soonest we can leave?"

"Well, considering we're taking the cheapest flight and it left shortly after lunch, I would say yes."

"Is it non-stop?"

"No, we have a bit of a layover in Toronto and then it's off to Syracuse. We'll get in late, so I guess we'll find a motel until we can find something else.

"I'm going to miss this place," Chloe said quietly after a moment.

Derek came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her, "Me too" he murmured in her ear.

* * *

She didn't have to ask him to join her in bed that night.


	3. Threats

**A/N:** Here are a few general (long) housekeeping notes I want to get out with.

First off – last month, February 2014, I had over **950+ views** to my stories. That is a TON and thank you all so much for clicking and reading! It blows my mind and I hope that I keep up with you all.

Second – another reminder that I am offering the same deal as I have with the other chapters. **First ten reviewers receive a drabble of their choice. **Stuck and don't have an idea, only a set of characters or ship? No problem! I can surprise you with one with those parts!

Third – **is anyone watching _Bitten_?** It is based on the first _Women of the Otherworld_ book by the same name, _Bitten_. Why should _Darkest Powers_ fans be interested in it? Does the name **Zachary Cain** ring any bells? **Its Derek's dad!** I am _so_ happy with the way that they have portrayed his character it is just … ridiculous. I am so _so_ happy with it. Does he look like he does in the books? No, but I imagine finding a 7 foot (yes, seriously), blond guy (yes, seriously) that is massively buff can be hard in the show business. He makes his first appearance in the show in episode four. _Bitten _is the very first book that launched the entire universe that _Darkest Powers _exists in. You want a good look into why Derek is so odd of a werewolf? WotO has plenty of answers (although I will be touching on several of them throughout the story too). Here is a very brief synopsis I wrote: _Bitten_ is about Elena Michaels and her struggle to find her identity as a supernatural, or more specifically, a bitten werewolf. As of Bitten TV timeline, she is the only female to survive the Change ever/that they know of. She is currently trying to push away the werewolf/supernatural and live a 'normal' human life, but it isn't as easy as it would seem, considering the Pack is in trouble. And that is where it all starts off.

Of course, I would always hope that the TV series inspires you to pick up the books because it is TV and they are going off in their own direction. Or you could indulge me and let me think my story has given you incentive to read them… okay, that might be going a little far.

Canadian viewers, you can find it on Space on Saturdays. US viewers, you can watch it on Syfy on Mondays. Please check your local listings for times! I believe Nordic HBO has also picked it up. If you don't have access to those channels, feel free to message me and I'll let you know how I watch it. I am US but I watch the Space version because the Space version … has a bit more of the male form that Syfy just isn't comfortable airing at 8PM. Just saying.

Fourth – **if you have any questions – about _Promises Made_, the TV show, or the books, feel free to message me!** I love talking fandom with people.

Fifth – I know of some of you are concerned about **the state of Chlerek**. Well – just trust me, okay?

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the _Darkest Powers_, _Darkness Rising_, or _Women of the Otherworld_ series. Nor do I own _Dexter_. There is a very, very strong reference to a _Dexter_ season 7 episode (the bit about the unclaimed baggage room) and how things like that simply can _not_ happen in airports. Also if you ever feel the urge to try watching _Dexter_ – don't, just don't. If someone really twists your arm, just stop at season one. Friends don't let friends succumb to hate watching – because you will and you will resent your friend for the hours wasted. I might be a little bitter. Still.

* * *

Chapter 3: Threats

* * *

"I am seriously questioning your judgment," Derek muttered to Chloe. He was in a spectacular grumpy mood, even for him. "Next time, I need to be consulted."

Chloe looked over at him. They already had a less than stellar morning and the rest of the day was shaping to be worse.

"Well, _David_," she began, "I did think about you when I bought the tickets. I picked the cheapest flight. Our other options were two layovers, driving to make a bus or train station or driving the entire way. You can handle a few more hours of discomfort when otherwise we'd barely be started."

Derek glared at her. While he appreciated Chloe's dedication to making sure their cover remained intact, he wasn't thrilled with her using his false name. He had made a strong case that she could just call him "D" but she would only agree if she could add "big" in front of it. He turned it down. Now, they were stuck on a plane that Derek could not wait to get out of.

They were still at the gate at Quebec.

"You could have told me that you weren't comfortable with planes."

"How was I supposed to know?"

"We all know now. You don't mix well with planes."

"I would take bus over this."

"I doubt it. Two days travelling with strangers – no. We'll pick something up for you at Toronto. I'm sure they have something to help travel anxiety in the little shops. The next plane has two seats in a row, so we won't have to worry about someone else."

Derek looked over to her. As of now, the aisle seat was empty.

"Someone is sitting next to you?"

"If the seat is booked, yeah," Chloe responded. "But we won't know that until we're completely boarded."

"Switch."

Chloe rolled her eyes and they switched seats. She wasn't too surprised but she thought that Derek's outrage had run out of steam. He did not think highly of the security measures they had to go through to gain access to the terminal. Chloe swore she heard a low growl when Derek saw the labyrinth they had to go through.

"Suit yourself; you'll be sitting next to the stranger."

Derek shifted uncomfortably, already noting that his movement was limited by having seats on opposite sides of him.

"No more planes," he muttered, eyeing people as they were walking by, stalking the overhead compartments for an available spot for their carry-ons.

Chloe laughed, "I'll make sure we find something for you to take Big D."

* * *

The first leg of the flight went slightly better than their time at the gate. The seat next to Derek remained, thankfully, unoccupied. Once they landed in Toronto, Chloe found a few shops that sold various miscellaneous items for travelers that might have forgotten something at home such as neck pillows, blankets, sweatshirts, toothbrushes, but struck out at finding some Benadryl for Derek.

"Do you want to keep looking or just head over to the bar?"

Derek looked at his watch. "What time do we have to be back at the gate?"

"About thirty minutes before."

They continued their search. Despite their attempts, they couldn't find a store that sold Benadryl over the counter. Chloe thought it was odd but she had never tried to find it in an airport before.

"We can hit the bar if you'd like."

"Isn't there some regulation against that?"

"You just can't be _drunk_ when you board the plane."

Derek grunted.

"So was that a yes or no grunt? I don't have my Big D grunts down."

"I'll just deal with it."

"Uh huh."

Chloe began walking. Derek almost called out her name in surprise, but caught himself. He hurried after her, cursing at their carry-ons for not immediately cooperating with his spurt of speed.

"Where are you going" he hissed after her.

"I need a drink."

* * *

Chloe followed the hostess as she led them to a booth at TGI Friday's. Derek was right behind on her heels.

"The food will help."

Derek grunted in response.

It turns out the food did help – as did the two glasses of wine Chloe had with her meal. If he wasn't going to take something, she needed to. It was for the best, really.

They were slowly finishing their meal – Chloe picking at her dessert while Derek kept an eye on the time. The less time spent in an airport, the better, in his opinion. It was too crowded and too loud for him. It was making him uneasy, although since they had sat down, the stream of people walking by had considerably slowed down.

They had paid their bill and were leaving the restaurant when Chloe bumped into a man going into the restaurant. Derek grabbed Chloe, steadying her which proved more difficult than usual with her sporting a buzz, when he froze.

He recognized the man.

It wasn't the face, he made sure to keep his face down.

Derek recognized his scent. It was one that had been seared into his memory. Without thinking, he instantly reacted. He let go of Chloe and their bags, grabbed him, and led him down the hall to an isolated group of seats. Chloe watched confused for a moment before grabbing the bags Derek had dropped and followed behind.

Derek looked at the man with pure hatred. He only took his eyes off him briefly when Chloe sat on a chair opposite them.

"Who is paying you to follow us," Derek hissed. "Tell us the truth and you might end up a little worse off than the last time. Lie to us and you'll wish to trade places with Liam."

Ramon shifted uneasily in his chair, partly from airport chairs being uncomfortable, partly from Derek's iron grip on his arm.

"I'm just passing through. I'm not working for anyone."

"Likely story," Derek growled. "Let me see your ticket."

Ramon reached in his jacket pocket slowly, his hand reemerging with a boarding pass to Las Vegas. Derek eyed him suspiciously.

"I'm going to Las Vegas. I have no clue where you're going and quite frankly kid, I don't care. I don't have a beef with you. That was years ago and strictly business. Let's be civilized," he grinned, "besides if I was tracking you, bumping into you at an airport is a pretty sorry way to start things off. There are cameras everywhere. What am I going to do? Kill you and leave your body in the unclaimed baggage room? Please."

Derek had forgotten about the cameras, but seeing Ramon's shift in attitude from appeasing to taunting caused him to slightly loosen his grip on the arm.

"We'll let you go if you give us information," Chloe interrupted.

Ramon's grin grew wider.

"Little girlfriend seems to have grown more of a backbone. I'll play."

Chloe gave him a devilish grin. "Just remember – cameras or no, if you lie, they won't help matters. Derek can kill you without it being overt and I can throw your soul back into your body and the only thing people will think is that we're having a regular conversation. It's been a while since I had a supernatural plaything," Chloe tilted her head, grinning mischievously.

"You're bluffing."

"Am I? You don't smell a certain . . . " Chloe let the sentence hang there for a few beats, "specific, very specific smell? It should catch your attention."

Ramon tensed, his nostrils flaring and face blanched and contorted into a look of disgust. Derek kept his face unchanged, but inwardly he was regretting not finding some Benadryl to take.

Chloe continued, "We want everything you know about the Pack. Members, former members, what they like to eat, any habits, and we need to know where they are."

"I'm not lying. I haven't run into them in a while, but," he hurried, seeing Chloe narrow her eyes, "I hear things, you know? I don't know if they're all true, but I hear stuff."

He waited to see if Chloe was going to respond. When she didn't, he continued. "There's Jeremy Danvers – he should still be the Alpha. He's been that for a couple of decades now and I definitely would have heard if he died. There's Clay Danvers and Elena. Nasty combination those two – they have a fondness for disposing of mutts. Rumor has it that they have a few pups of their own. Can't say I've seen anything to prove it but I haven't seen anything that doesn't prove it either. Then you have Antonio and Nick, father and son, they're big, not as big as you," he nodded towards Derek, "but they can take on larger guys without too much of a problem. There might be another one or two but I've never run into them."

"And the one with chainsaw affinity?" Chloe asked.

"He's still there. That would be Clay. I imagine he's found new toys to play with, bet he hasn't made it public so that he doesn't run out of playthings."

Derek looked at his watch. They would be boarding soon. Chloe noticed him looking at the time and nodded.

"Just one more thing we need and you'll be free of us. Tell us where we can find them."

"Look, I'm sure you're confident that your boyfriend can pummel them but these guys have decades of fighting experience. You're walking into your own grave. You think they're going to let blondie go after they're done with you? They'll find some way to dispose of her – and probably take their sweet time too."

"Write down the address," Chloe growled. She tensed, summoning energy towards her.

Ramon's face paled even further. He motioned for a pen and paper and wrote down the address. Derek roughly let him go and gathered their bags up. Chloe remained sitting, staring at Ramon. She slowly stood up and leaned next to Ramon's ear.

"If," she whispered, "they know we're coming, it is because you told them. If that is the case, it does not matter what happens to us. I will find your soul sooner or later and you're not going to like what I'm going to do to it."

She straightened back up, took Derek's free hand, and together they walked off, leaving Ramon alone on the bench.

"Remind me not to let you out of my sight while you're angry with me," Derek muttered.

Chloe grinned, "I think I might have a knack for interrogation."

Derek was about to respond when the intercom system announced that their plane would begin boarding in five minutes.

"Round two, it begins," Derek muttered. Chloe squeezed his hand and they bravely went to the gate.

* * *

Chloe woke up as the overhead seatbelt sign dinged off. She rubbed her face, trying to wake herself up. It was a vain attempt, she wanted to curl back up and continue her sleep at least for a few more minutes. She straightened up and noticed that the seat next to her was empty. She forced her eyes closed for a moment, willing them to refocus and see that she was mistaken.

She opened her eyes – the seat remained empty.

She looked around the plane, it was in the process of emptying, and regained some hope. It was fleeting. It did not seem likely that Derek would leave her asleep on a plane that still had passengers. She kneeled on the seat and peered around the stream of passengers, hoping to find a hulking form that stood out. Her eyes travelled back to the lavatories without finding what she was looking for.

He wouldn't abandon her like this, she knew that. It went against his nature. He wouldn't have brought her this far only to jump ship the moment they reached Syracuse.

Chloe stood up and checked the overhead compartment. Her suitcase was still there. Derek's, however, was not.

"He must have just needed to go to the bathroom or something," she muttered to herself, wanting the audible words to be more convincing than the ones sounding in her head. "I'll grab my stuff, get off, and I'll find him at the gate waiting for me." She took a deep breath as she awkwardly pulled down her bag.

She gave one last glance around the plane. Derek wasn't in her sight. She sighed and was the last passenger off the plane. She walked slowly, not due to sleep but dread and a slight headache. She knew that Derek wouldn't leave her but all of the signs certainly pointed at it.

"It doesn't make sense," she muttered to herself. If she was going to be left behind, it should have happened years ago. If this was what Derek wanted, he had the perfect opportunity years ago when they were trying to make their way to Andrew's house to supposed safety. He had woken her up roughly then, eyes blazing with fever, torn between pleading with her to stay or to go. He could have gone off by himself then and left her on the bus with Tori and Simon. He could have disappeared from all of them, if that was what he wanted. But it wasn't, it wasn't how he worked. Chloe knew deep in her soul that he wasn't like that.

"Unless," she whispered, coming to a stop as she reached the gate, "this was the way to keep me safe."

Her heart sunk into her stomach, her face paled as the blood receded from it in shock.

She dimly heard a voice overhead, the first time it sounded foggy. She snapped to attention the second time it sounded, alerting passengers from Toronto that the checked bags would be out in a few minutes. He could leave her on the plane, he could grab his bag and make a dash for the exit, but he could not escape waiting for the carousel to bring him his bags.

She broke out into a run, an odd sight considering the lateness of the hour, nearing ten, and how empty the airport was. She wasn't sure what people would say about her, if there was anyone to see her. She hurried down the terminal, through customs, and walked down the escalators.

"Shit," she muttered, realizing that she didn't know what baggage claim was designated for their flight. She looked over and saw the large crowd of people waiting by a stagnant conveyer belt. Her eyes flitted over the crowds, men, women, a few kids that looked as though they could fall asleep standing up. She was nearing the bottom of the escalator and still had not found Derek.

She caught a flash of movement by one of the empty luggage carousels. She looked over and her heart soared – he was there. She wasn't all by herself. She felt her face break out into a wide grin before she realized that Derek wasn't alone.

Chloe hurried over towards them. She needed a plan – now. Would she use their names or their aliases? No, it'd have to be their aliases, everything they had on them sported that information, not to mention their luggage would have their names on it. She was optimistic that they wouldn't have to leave them behind.

"David dear," Chloe waved, "our luggage will be coming out of the other one," she said, hoping that it sounded casual and believable enough.

Derek gave her the briefest of glances, indifferent even. She looked at his company, two men; she would place the dark haired one as late thirties and the blond as around their age.

"We're just finishing up," the dark haired one cheerfully replied. "It's all about networking, and to think of our luck of running into such a man of talents here." He stopped and gave her a wolfish grin.

"Just hand over your business card and we'll be in touch," Chloe replied, trying to keep her face open. She wanted to growl the words without moving her jaw, but she needed to keep up her act. She needed to play the cheerful, clueless partner.

The blond one – Chloe noted that while he wasn't as big as Derek, the way he moved certainly suggested that he was athletically gifted – reached into his jacket and she tensed without thinking. She noticed that he was missing a few fingers and inwardly cringed. She didn't suspect that his missing digits impaired his fighting much. Derek couldn't do anything if they tried something. The cameras would see it all vividly. It gave her a certain advantage if push came to shove; she knew that she could do something. Exactly what would happen, she wasn't sure and wasn't sure that she wanted to know, but she mentally prepared herself that things could escalate.

He pulled out a business card and shoved it into Derek's hand.

"See you around cutie," the dark haired one grinned as he and his partner walked towards the exit. The skin on the back of her neck prickled and she cast a questioning look at Derek.

"We'll talk in the car," he explained and headed over to the luggage carousel. The belt was now moving and people were anxiously looking and checking luggage tags, hoping that their bags had made it to their final destination.

Derek grabbed their bags one by one and soon, their checked bags had accumulated into a pile next to their carry-ons.

They didn't talk much as they headed out to the parking garage.

"The rental cars are over," Chloe began as Derek picked up his pace, leaving her behind. "Excuse me, did you hear me?"

"We have a loaner car." It was a gruff, short reply.

Chloe sped up her pace, trying to keep up with his long strides and managing her bags was proving to be not only a physical demanding challenge but a mental one too. The uneven floor would cause one bag to veer opposite of the others, threatening to turn over and make her stop.

Derek found the car that he was looking for, a bright red convertible mustang. He grabbed their bags and put them in the trunk. He hesitated before getting in, making a face as he settled in the driver's seat.

"You alright?"

Derek took in a deep breath through his mouth and gave her a nod. He started up the car and they left.

* * *

They pulled into a rundown motel on the edge of town. They didn't talk on the drive. Chloe had wanted too, but she had realized with a jolt that she must have fallen asleep as soon as they were on the highway.

"I'll grab the bags, you can go in and get cleaned up," Derek said quietly. Chloe nodded and sleepily made their way to their room. She looked at the keycard and saw that they were on the first floor – directly in front of the car.

She walked in and tried to ignore the mustiness of the room. It appeared that this motel didn't see much traffic and as a result, some rooms were neglected more than others. Derek followed shortly behind her, only taking two trips to bring in all of their bags. He opened up her carryon and started arranging the runes. She watched him wordless as he worked. She felt a pang of guilt for thinking that he had abandoned her.

"I'll finish doing this, go on and grab a shower to get that … smell off of you, and if you wouldn't mind, washing your hair," Derek said, not looking up at her as he was walking around the room.

Normally, Chloe would be offended at the suggestion that she stank. But, today was an exception, and she did feel a bit grimy from dealing with planes and airports for the majority of the day. She went into the bathroom and showered.

* * *

Chloe walked back into their room and saw that the runes had been arranged. She gripped the towel as she looked through her suitcase for something to sleep in. She had noticed that there was only one bed in their room. She wasn't sure what that meant; she knew that when Kit booked rooms for them, he always had options of how many beds or how many rollaway beds. She briefly entertained what possessed Derek to pick this option.

It was a fleeting thought that was extinguished when she saw him camped out in a once-overstuffed chair. She noticed that he had moved it from being near the bathroom to the opposite side of the room – in the corner by the heater/air conditioner.

She went back into the bathroom, dressed, and came back out. Derek wordlessly slipped by her to grab his own shower. She crawled underneath the covers and grabbed the remote control. It had been a while since they had access to more than three channels. She watched him as he came out of the tiny bathroom. She immediately noted that he was shirtless, shorts slung low on his waist. Or in other words, it was slightly more clothing than he usually slept in.

"So we're staying in the rest of the night?" Chloe eyed the alarm on the bedside table, already approaching one in the morning.

"I think so," he grumbled, his voice fatigued.

"So – briefing now or in the morning?"

Derek ran his fingers through his hair. It was becoming borderline unkempt. Chloe was helpless with things of that nature. Tori was the one that helped him with that. Tori was the one that helped her with many things – playing with more dyes, different shades of red, blonde, highlights, lowlights – but she wasn't with them this time.

He didn't answer as he joined her under the covers.

Chloe nudged him.

"We have until tomorrow night to make our decision. Either I get out of town and don't come back – and it was more than suggested that if I want to keep breathing, I take that one – or I show up on their front step and try to enjoy the last few minutes I have breathing."

"What?"

"Ramon must have tipped them off that I was asking about them."

"That doesn't make any sense. Ramon would have mentioned that you weren't alone."

"Well, maybe they didn't believe that a necromancer would be travelling with a werewolf. Maybe he didn't mention it. Maybe, hell, I don't know."

"Granted I don't remember one hundred percent of what I said," Chloe grinned sheepishly, "but I remember Ramon's face clear as day. He isn't looking to piss us off. It must have been someone else. Or something else. Maybe they have a spell done on the airport that alerts them to any unfamiliar werewolves. They could have paid a witch or sorcerer to do that."

"I suppose that's possible."

"So where are we going now?"

Derek sighed as he let the back of his head hit the headboard.

"I was serious about the raising. I would do that," Chloe said quietly, the '_for you_' not needing to spoken.

"No, that's just – we just need to figure out where we're going."

Chloe traced shapes on Derek's arm, looking down at it. "Well," she began, "we could see about trying to find some sort of Cain homestead. Maybe find out their side of the story."

"We wouldn't get the option to walk away there. Or if we were taken in, Carter would see about eliminating me as soon as he possibly could and you – _no_."

"The only other thing I can think of is going back to the lab."

Even after all of these years, Derek's body tensed at the mention of his first home.

"Were you able to even tell them that we were seeking them out for help?"

Derek shook his head. "It was a mostly one way conversation. The brown haired guy did the talking, the blond glared, and I couldn't get a word in edge wise."

Chloe pointed the remote at the television and turned it off.

"I go up there alone. I tell them what is going on and then when you come in, you're not torn to pieces," Chloe stated in a matter of fact tone.

"We need to go to bed if you're tired enough that _that_ seems like something I'd agree to."

"I'm serious, Derek."

Derek leaned over and gently placed his lips on her forehead. He caught the time – now almost two – and groaned.

"We need sleep. We'll talk about it some more in the morning."

* * *

They scarcely talked while they were re-packing their bags in the morning. If they wanted to not waste another forty-nine dollars on this dump of a room, they needed to be out by eleven. They had woken up at ten.

Chloe sat in the red mustang, waiting for Derek to come back from the front office. She had resolved herself. She would be the one that made the first contact. It would have to be her. She wasn't a werewolf; she wouldn't be seen as a threat to them. Once she was able to explain what was going on, they would have to do something about the situation. While their Pack knowledge was limited, they did know that they served as a police force for werewolves. Werewolves attacking sorcerers, nevertheless important Cabal sorcerers, would definitely be something they would have to respond to.

Chloe smiled when Derek got back in the car.

"Let's make today fun," she said.

"Fun."

"You know, impending doom, chaos, whatever is about to rain all over our heads. Let's have a normal day."

"A normal day."

Chloe rolled her eyes, only noticing now that they were on the road headed towards Bear Valley.

"We can pick up lunch somewhere, then we can explore the town in the afternoon, maybe they have a museum or theater, or something, we can grab some dinner and then action time."

"We can think of something else," Derek said quietly in a pleading tone.

"I'll be fine. I'll try contacting Liz after lunch. Maybe now that we're … back in New York, maybe she'll respond."

Liz. It had been a long time since Chloe had been able to contact her. She had been able to contact her in the first months since they joined up with Project Phoenix in their new utopia, but one day, Liz stopped coming. It both ate at Chloe and was a relief. If Liz had made whatever peace she needed or received whatever resolution she needed to fully pass over, Chloe would be happy about that. However, Chloe suspected, the town had something done to it to where she couldn't summon her. Maybe her trainers were concerned with her becoming overly friendly with ghosts and treating every ghost as if they were Liz – helpful, good natured, not angry at the world and the necromancers for not being immediately available when they had a whim.

Derek gave a brief nod as he continued to drive.

* * *

The afternoon simultaneously evaporated and dragged on for eternity. While they were talking, the minutes sped by, but when they hit a sore subject or a pause, time stopped. They found a park after lunch and spent their afternoon walking the various trails. It was a decently large park, full of trees, trails, and surprisingly lacking a crowd on a nice autumn day.

Something just felt right about being in the woods with Derek. Chloe couldn't explain it – it certainly didn't make sense considering there were always some animal remains laying around – but she didn't question it. Happiness – that is what it was. It warmed her and she embraced the feeling, etching it into her memory.

"Do you remember the first _walk_ we had?"

Derek snorted. "Of course."

Chloe squeezed Derek's hand and leaned into him. "Woods outside a run-down motel, having to go out there because every time someone would walk in," Chloe grinned.

"We had a nice system figured out before too long."

"Mmm," Chloe agreed, "you and your Changes."

"You helped a lot with those. If you hadn't found me at the house or gotten off the bus with me," he trailed off, his eyes ever vigilant on the wooded path.

Chloe squeezed his hand in response.

"Even now," he trailed off, "it's … different when you're not around."

"Really?"

Derek nodded. "It doesn't come as easily."

"It's not like you could have told me this when, say, you first found out about it."

Derek shrugged.

"Let me guess, another brilliant training decision you didn't agree with but didn't want to complain too much about it?"

"Yes – no," Derek started. "I need to be able to Change when you're not around in the event that … something happens and you're not there. Back at Andrew's," he trailed off.

A twig snapped and Derek looked at the direction it came from. Chloe stopped, trying to not cause any unnecessary noise. After a minute of not hearing, seeing, or smelling anything, Derek relaxed, slightly.

They continued their walk in silence when Chloe stopped and looked at Derek. He was, again, looking around to see if there was anyone following them.

"The hell with this," she muttered as she grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him down. She met his lips with her own, playfully moving them. She hung there for a minute, temporarily forgetting the elephant in the forest. She grinned when she felt him respond.

Chloe suddenly pulled back, gave Derek a mischievous grin, and ran into the forest.

* * *

Chloe strained her ears to listen for any sign of Derek. She had taken great care to make sure that her trail was difficult to follow. From leaping on rocks, circling trees in patterns, backtracking, and walking on both sides and in a small stream, Chloe had clearly paid attention to her lessons.

She tried to stay still, she was tucked under a bush by a fallen and hollowed out log. She had hoped that her backtracking was good enough to make it seem as though her trail vanished halfway in the log.

Birds chirped in the distance, she swore she heard something moving around behind the bush. She thought she heard the leaves rustle but was it only the breeze? She couldn't chance it. It had been a long time since they had a mock hunt, and she was certainly pleased with the outcome. The last time they had one, Derek found her within twenty minutes. She looked down at her watch, it was easily past thirty now.

She felt a twinge of guilt. She knew that if Derek didn't find her soon, she'd offer herself up out of a concern for his well-being. She shoved the guilt aside though. How many times had he griped at her for leaving a sloppy trail? This was delicious payback and she was going to enjoy every moment. Afterwards, Derek would be impressed too. If he gave her any grief, she'd point out that she had only followed the advice he had given her throughout the years.

It wasn't her fault that she had turned into a rapt student.

A twig snapped off to her right. Chloe tried to make herself even lower to the ground, counting her breathes, and watching.

Another twig snapped to her left.

Alarm bells went off in her head. Someone was out there. There wouldn't just happen to be two something on both sides of her. Were they just local kids? Were they looking for something? Her gut plummeted, were they looking for Derek? Was it the Pack? Had they decided they couldn't wait a few more hours?

She tried summoning Liz, taking great care to start a slow pull. The primeval part of her brain yelled at her to just slam open the door, to let whatever come, the mission was that she had to get out right _now_. She closed her eyes, willing herself to try to remain as calm as possible. She opened her eyes briefly; she needed to be sure that Liz hadn't arrived. It was just a false hope. Liz would announce her arrival, probably by a gusty "Hi Chloe!" followed by "Where the hell have you been?" complete with a grin.

She tried pulling slightly harder; she gripped her pendant with her right hand.

More twigs snapped but were they fading or getting closer? Or was it a sign of more people? And _damn it_, where was Derek? While she was quite proud of herself, she knew that Derek should have found her by now. Was he nearby, watching what was going on around her?

Voices.

Chloe stopped summoning, her face slightly gleaming from sweat. She tried to steady her breathing and lock her muscles. If she rattled this bush, it would be game over.

She heard voices; they would become louder, stop, and then fade, only to be replaced by others. Were they watching or waiting for her? Or Derek?

Chloe mentally berated herself for this. A mock hunt not only in an unfamiliar place, but near the Pack's headquarters and after they had expressed their less than welcome mat? And considering they hadn't done this in years? Idiotic. Stupid.

Chloe stopped, the voices had stopped. She strained to listen again, no twigs were snapping. Chloe counted to sixty. She didn't hear anything.

She took off. She ran downwind, hoping that she was running towards Derek. Derek – if she could get to him, they could get in the car and go anywhere but here. They could live their lives as David and Melissa Moore and she'd be fine with it. She's sign on to a one way trip to Antarctica if it presented itself. She just wanted to keep them both living.

Her pulse pounded in her ears, her footfalls sounded as though they were drums. She stumbled a few times, but always caught herself at the last minute. Precious seconds, wasted.

Her body screamed for her to slow down, that she couldn't maintain this frantic, panicked pace too much longer. Logically she should slow down and summon whatever was in the forest, let an undead animal horde convince whoever that they didn't want to keep following her. Chloe's brain wasn't thinking logically – it was reacting on instinct. She had to keep running; stopping would only lead to the end. As long as she was moving, hope remained alive, for her and for Derek, that she could escape this time.

She saw a figure ahead, tall, dark hair, squatting close to the ground to find a trail. Her heart leapt at the sight. Derek. She had made it. They would get out of this by the scrape of their teeth. Forget the Pack; she wouldn't pay them any more attention after this.

Her grin widened as she closed in on him.

"Derek," she gasped as she slowed down a few feet from him. "Pack. Or people. Or someone. Woods. We have to leave now," she sputtered out. While she considered herself in shape, she would never be a runner. She wasn't sure how far she ran but she was sure enough that she had beaten any previous personal bests.

He nodded and stood up without saying a word.

"We got to go," Chloe sputtered again, urgency in her voice. She grabbed at his arm. Only, that wasn't the shirt that Derek had on earlier. Did he Change and grab some extra clothes from his bag? It was hard to keep track of what clothes they had these days.

"We certainly do," he grumbled before he tackled her to the ground.

Chloe looked up at him. Bright green eyes, only, instead of warmth, they were stone cold. The face was different. She immediately noticed every single other difference, the callouses on the hands that pinned her arms down, the smell permeating from him, his grin. It was all different, foreign.

She tried, but she kept going back to the eyes. Bright green, they looked so much like Derek's. Her panicked brain kicked into overdrive, putting it together – Cains.

"I don't want to hurt you, sweetheart," he said as he tightened his grip on her arms, "but if you want to get out of this alive, you need to work with me. The others won't be as accommodating."

"Just let me go, I'll leave and you'll never hear from me again."

He grinned, "That is exactly opposite what we want." He looked up and tilted his head to the side, focusing on listening.

Chloe lurched over to her side, dislodging the grip he had on her arms. She stumbled and only made it a few steps before another set of eyes greeted her.

"He wasn't kidding Chloe," the newcomer grinned.

Chloe swore her heart slowed to only a few beats from stopping completely.

Carter.

The man behind her grabbed her. She felt a prick on her skin, immediately followed by a burning sensation.

Her world started spinning and then went black.


End file.
